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Chronic fatigue bacterium

Published 10 August 2005

From Stephanie Woodcock, Lyme Disease Action

The research reported by you today affirms the patients’ belief that chronic fatigue syndrome is physically based (23 July, p 9).

The reported findings would be consistent with persistent viral infection, and the author writes about the idea that CFS is sometimes triggered by viruses such as Epstein-Barr, Q fever, enteroviruses and parvovirus B19. We note that the Q-fever agent is not a virus at all but a treatable bacterium called Coxiella burnetii. Medical science must not overlook the fact that non-viral pathogens can provoke an extremely similar immune activation.

Being certain of the agent or agents involved in the development of an illness has crucial implications for creating an effective treatment. Many of our Lyme borreliosis patients were misdiagnosed as having chronic fatigue but have in fact responded to long-term antibiotic therapy.